Akuma
by Fra0408
Summary: A mysterious bounty hunter and musician with a frightening name joins the crew. Will her actions lead the pirates to their end?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own One Piece nor its characters.

My mothertongue is not English, however I hope everyone could enjoy my story.

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><p>The lifeless body of Sandos, aka "Pirate Sultan", fell on the ground, producing a loud thud that announced an unwelcome presence to Admiral Shiro, captain of the Flint Island Navy division.<p>

"I would have preferred to bring him to you alive, now his bounty is halved… But really, how the hell do you decide on a bounty? This asshole here was surely not worthy all that money!" The marine stared anxiously at the girl who had brought the pirate's body to the base. Her long blood-red curls reflected the light that came through the window, creating a warm and bright halo around her. "125 million. You can either give the money directly to me, or send it to Magno. If I were you, though, I'd choose the latter. You never know what may happen to a vulnerable girl like me! You never know, I could run into a scoundrel!"

Shiro glanced at the lifeless body on the ground. "As if _you_ should be afraid of scoundrels…" he then looked up at the girl standing in front of him, staring with disgust at the mocking smile on her face.  
>He sighed deeply. "I'll send the money to Magno; actually, I still haven't paid him for the pirates you brought here the other day..."<br>"You seem quite annoyed, seaman! And to think that I've just given a hand to you and to your shitty men!"  
>Upon hearing those words, Shiro snorted. "I'm not used to dealing with criminals… least of all that arrogant boss of yours!"<br>"Criminals… what a big word! Do you think that every single person who does not share your ideals is a criminal, don't you? As if you were in the right… pathetic!"  
>"The Navy takes decisions on the basis of what <em>is<em> right; _we_ are the good boys. On the contrary, you and your boss would do anything just to make money, as criminals do."  
>The redhead burst out laughing. "You're free to think what you want, but then, why does the Navy call us to do the dirty work? Where is justice in all that?" Suddenly, in a fit of rage, she grabbed the collar of his uniform, forcing him to look her in the eye; for an instant, the admiral noticed a flow of undefined emotions spinning in her eyes.<br>"Let me tell you something: Justice does not exist. Good, bad, those are only empty meaningless words. Who determines what is fair and what is not? Let me tell you: the strongest."  
>Shiro stared at her in disgust, but she continued talking, an evil smirk on her face: "It's all about power. In the end good guys always die, don't you know? The most important thing is to survive. And if you want to survive, you have to come to an agreement with whoever is stronger than you. Magno is so powerful that he's free to do whatever he likes, no restrictions imposed by the Navy! And you're just a sissy captain in a faraway island, probably your bosses are so ashamed of you... you can't do anything to Magno, nor to me." That said, she pushed him against the table and turned to leave.<p>

"You sicken me… you're just that turd's whore!" Shiro growled. The girl turned to his direction but didn't seem offended. Her mischievous grin grew even wider while she walked, slowly and sensually, towards the man. He couldn't help but gazing at her long feminine legs, enhanced by the miniskirt she was wearing. She forced him to sit down on his leather armchair, straddling him, whispering in his ear "You wish I were _your_ whore, don't you?" The captain had always had a soft spot for beautiful women, which was why Magno always sent his only female subordinate to deal with him. Moreover, he lacked brute force; she wasn't even struggling to block his arms and legs from moving. "Shame on you, seaman… you're married!" The man's face was covered in the girl's curls, her scent intoxicated him, her breath on his ear tickled him; his heart was pounding in his chest, his will to resist was weakening as her warm and sensual voice was filling his ears. If only he'd been able to move, he would have reacted violently. As if all those provocations were not enough, the girl was now rubbing herself against him, causing the man's arousal. He deeply hated her. She had that fascinating yet dangerous power with which she enslaved anyone she wanted. She was impudent, bossy, cocky and excessively self-confident, yet he had desired her from the moment they met. He could not possess her, he knew she was Magno's property; that was why he hated her so much.

The torture he was subjected to ended quickly. The girl suddenly moved away from him and headed to the door. On her face, a disgusted grimace.  
>"So much for me sickening you…" she said, pointing at the man's arousal. She sighed. "See you, Captain. Sayonara!"<p>

She left, closing the door behind her. She leaned wearily against the wall, bringing a hand to her forehead and toying with a red lock of hair. She sighed again, and headed to the exit.

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><p>The Straw Hat crew had arrived at Flint Island two hours earlier, and the pirates were now strolling in the main city of the isle. Luffy and Zoro were looking for a place in which they could eat (and drink), Robin had set off for the archaeological museum of the town, whose owner was an old acquaintance of hers. Usopp, Chopper and Franky had headed to the market where, after an accurate selection, they had bought lots of weird objects, which the sniper would soon use in one if his odd inventions. There they had met their navigator, accompanied by a walking mass of bags, who answered to the name of Sanji.<p>

The group was going back to the inn where they had booked rooms for the night, when they overheard the conversation between three boys standing in front of a newsstand.  
>"Have you seen the redhead yet? She's just arrived…" Nami, hearing those words, blushed lightly, grumbling about the stupidity of the three.<br>"I have… I think I'm in love! That body is stuck in my mind!"  
>"You're right… man, she's hot! I'd jump on her if only I had the occasion… yet, they say she's not friendly, quite off-putting, to tell the truth… but I really have a soft spot for grumpy chicks!"<br>Sanji could not contain himself. He kicked violently one of the three, yelling. "Nami is mine, how could you say such bullshit about her, you perverts! She's an angel, a goddess, and your filthy hands are not worthy of touching her!"

The man was terrified. He tried to justify himself, even if the cook's kicks were giving him a very hard time. "Na… Nami? I don't know anyone by that name, sir… I…"  
>"You don't? Then, who were you talking about two minutes ago, you bastard? I heard you, don't play games with me!" He was almost going berserk, he couldn't stand people playing dumb.<br>"I…we were talking about a redhead, a very beautiful girl, who often comes to this town… she usually seizes criminals, plays at the inn, but we had no idea her name was Nami, nor that she was her girlfriend, sir… she's always alone! Please, we're very sorry! Please don't hurt us!" The men were curled up in the ground, shaking, covering their heads with their arms.

"Something' not right…" Sanji pondered, stroking his goatee. Then he said, pointing at Nami "were you talking about this great beauty?"  
>The three were surprised. "Not…not really, sir." They stopped for a moment. "We were talking about <em>that<em> great beauty." They pointed at somewhere behind the pirate's backs. They turned around and were speechless. Sanji thought he was dead, because he was sure to be in Heaven.

What immediately stood out was the fiery red mane of the angel (according to the chef) who was walking towards the group. Her soft locks bounced with her steps. She was wearing a very short miniskirt and a short-sleeved low-necked blouse. Despite her high-heeled boots, she strode the road quickly and self-confidently. Passing the group, she glanced at them for an instant, then walked away. 'Those faces are somewhat familiar…' she thought. They were probably pirates, but they were not on her list. 'Such weird people, though…' she reflected, after taking a good look of the group. 'A raccon as a pet and a robot… criminals these days don't know what to do anymore to draw attention!'

"You've seen her, haven't you?" The cook asked his companions. "It wasn't just my imagination, right?" Usopp nodded; the way that girl had looked at him had made him freeze. He still had shivers down his spine.

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><p>Two days later, everyone in the crew was dining at the "Flint Flower Inn". The table they were sitting at, though, was not enough to contain the piles of plates, which were once full of delicious food, wolfed down by a single rubber person.<p>

All the customers were staring at the captain with disgust and surprise, as he ate another grilled chicken. The desperate innkeeper was afraid of running out of food supplies but then, the black-haired boy seemed to calm down.

'I knew I had already seen them somewhere!' the redhead whispered to herself- she was sitting at a table in the corner, where nobody would her. She was looking at the sheet of paper with Monkey 's photo on it. Under his smiling face, the bounty: 300 million. Rather high, considering he was just a 17-year-old brat. The strange people she had seen the other day were with him, too. 'And also Nico Robin, and that former bounty hunter swordsman…' she looked at the woman and swordsman bounties. The other members were not famous, but they too had bounties on their heads. 'Such a young crew, and such high bounties…'

At that moment, Luffy's screams reached her ears. 'Look at that… I could use their company for a while…' she thought, smiling, as she stood up from the table.

"Listen old man, why don't you become a pirate and leave with us? You'll be our musician, you know, you'll sing and play pirate songs all the time! Come on, come oooon!" Luffy was trying to convince the pianist of the inn, a filthy man in his early 40s, to join his crew. In response, the man kept on playing and singing hard, his breath stinking of alcohol.

"Hey Luffy, you cannot ask anyone we meet to join our crew! Are you an idiot, or what?"  
>"And then, have you seen this guy? He wouldn't bear up two days at sea!"<br>Along with insults, punches didn't take long to arrive. The miserable captain started whining pathetically, deafening everyone at the inn.  
>"But I want a musician, I ache for a musician, I HUNGER FOR A MUSICIAN!"<br>"Hey!" Luffy felt someone tapping on his shoulder. He turned around, meeting a blood-red mane and golden irises. "I 'accidentally' heard you want a musician in your crew. I happen to need a passage to one of next islands… I think we could meet each other halfway."

Chopper, Nami, Sanji, Franky and Usopp recognized the girl from two days before in the one who had just spoken. Zoro and Robin, who had never seen her, looked at her surprised, yet mistrustful. Sanji flung himself on her, but she didn't even consider him, since she was still paying attention to the captain, to whom Usopp was pointlessly whispering "don't let her come with us, she's dangerous, I can feel it… please, Rufy, she scares me to death!"  
>"Are you a musician?" he asked her, totally ignoring the long-nosed boy. The girl nodded, smiling. Luffy stared at her without speaking, which began to annoy her.<p>

Suddenly, the black-haired boy reached his hand out to her, touching her hair.  
>"What are you doing?!" She exclaimed.<br>Luffy looked disappointed. "Not burning…" he mumbled to himself.  
>She was speechless. "What?"<br>"Your hair. So red, so wavy, it seemed like a fire. But it's not burning. What a pity." His companions yelled at him for his stupidity.  
>'And you would be worth 300 millions?' He was such an airhead… but he was also fickle: in an instant, he turned to her, smiling widely.<br>"I like you! So, you're going to be part of the crew! What's your name? "  
>"Let's say I'll be your musician for some time, until we reach my island. However, my name's Akuma."<p>

The pirates looked at her suspiciously and timorously. "Akuma", devil. A name, which boded no good. She didn't flinch, didn't lower her eyes, though. She was used to that kind of reaction, common to whoever knew her name. The captain's reaction surprised her, though.  
>"That's the perfect name for you! You really look like a devil, with that red hair of yours! That's just too funny!" He covered his mouth with his hands, uselessly trying not to burst out laughing. It was years since someone last caught her off guard. She didn't know how to reply. Was he making a fool of her? No, she knew he wasn't. The kid was so genuine, so innocent; he could not have hidden purposes: she was expert at telling who was lying.<p>

In the meanwhile, the rest of the crew seemed to have awoken.

A blonde man, introducing himself as "the defender of women-will you marry me", was all over her, endlessly repeating how beautiful she was and declaring he would fulfil all of her wishes.

A madman who wore nothing but briefs was singing and playing a ukulele.

A long-nosed kid was telling her of when he had knocked a giant out.

A little blue-nosed reindeer stared in awe at his bigmouth companion, while the captain laughed to tears. She was wrong. The pet was not a raccoon. And it was not even a pet.

A girl with red hair, of a lighter shade than hers, though, handed her a jug of beer, specifying she wasn't treating her.

Where the hell was she?

Nico Robin was looking at her, an enigmatic smile on her face. Did she know about Magno? Akuma knew who that woman was, of course. Actually, she was quite notorious. Well, in her mind, whoever had been able to destroy a marine fleet at the age of eight was a celebrity.

The swordsman was drinking his beer, apparently not caring about the newcomer in the group. He was probably suspicious.

Yet, the girl didn't have any hidden agenda. All she needed was a passage to her island; she had nothing against those pirates. She had never fought nor killed anyone on a whim. She did only if ordered, or if forced to choose between her or someone else's life. And then, even if she had been ordered to kill the Straw Hat crew, she wasn't sure she would have easily won against all of them.

"So, you're a musician… what instruments do you play?" Nami asked her while sipping at her beer.

"Mainly violin and guitar. I'm really good, no false modesty. Also, I've been playing piano for a few years."

"Why don't you brighten us with your music, my nymph? I bet you can soften the hearts of all these boors, who haven't even deigned to introduce themselves…" this said, Sanji shot an evil glare at Zoro, who snorted and turned to the opposite direction, always keeping an eye on Akuma, though. The girl, in the meanwhile, headed to the piano. She 'gently' kicked the musician aside. He was so drunk that he didn't even noticed what had happened. She sat down and started playing. The tune that filled the air was playful and extremely pleasant; everyone was speechlessly listening to it.

As soon as she finished, Akuma found herself surrounded by five excited madmen who were jumping all over her.

"Bravo, you're so good!"

"The goddess of music!"

"We're lucky to have you in our crew!"

"We could perform fabulous duets!"

'Oh God… Why, why did I do that? I should have stayed alone, as usual! These guys are going to drive me crazy!' The girl mentally scolded herself, terrified of all those demonstration of affection.

They had partied until late at night. Sanji, Franky, Usopp and Chopper, after disgusting everyone at the inn singing (well, shouting) a series of pirates songs while standing on the table hugging each other, had dropped unconscious on the ground. Because of the alcohol in their veins, for sure, but also because of Zoro's beating. Rufy had eaten so much that he had fallen asleep, head in the empty plate. Nami and Robin had decided to go to sleep as long as they were still conscious.

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><p>It was 4 am. Akuma opened her eyes, terrified. She had dreamt that she had fell from some stairs in a desert, causing her sudden awakening. She became aware, shifting her position, that her bottom ached. Massaging her back, she looked around, lost, and she recognized the stained-glass windows, with images of angels and saints looking at her. In front of her stood the altar, surrounded by tall candles. She had gone to the church like she did every night and she had fallen asleep on a pew. She didn't believe in God, not anymore, yet that atmosphere made her relaxed and calm. After a last glance at the crucifix above the altar, she went out.<p>

The sky was cloudless, the moon and the stars lit up the village. Despite the breeze, the girl didn't feel cold. She headed to the inn. She wasn't sleepy anymore, after all she was used to sleeping not more than four hours a night.

She noticed a figure in the distance, sitting on the wooden chair under the porch of the inn, feet on the barrel in front of him. She recognized the shape of the swordsman, and smiled looking at the position he had fallen asleep in. At that moment, though, he raised his arm and brought the bottle he was holding to his lips. Then, he turned his head and saw her. They were close enough for him to recognize her, even though he had not paid much attention to her the whole evening. He gave her a nod, and she waved back.

"Still awoken this late at night?"

"It's a wonderful night." He handed the bottle to the redhead. She grabbed it and drank avidly. She liked alcohol, the burning sensation in her throat and the warmth in her stomach it seemed to leave.

Zoro cast a furtive glance at her. "Where do you come from? I thought you were in your room."

"From the church." He seemed surprised, and somewhat amused. He gave her the once-over. Zoro was a man and, despite what Sanji said, he liked girls; he liked curvy girls. The redheaded girl in front of him was beautiful, indeed. She had been nice and friendly to his companions, yet she had a mean aura around her. He still couldn't classify her. And that name… well chosen, if it was a nickname. But, if it was her real name… then her parents would have had a really creepy sense of humour.

"It's weird, for a girl named "Devil", to enter a church. And you don't seem to be the religious type…"

"If I believed in God, I should give up three quarters of my habits. Too troublesome. I go there at night, when nobody's there. I like the atmosphere, so solemn. And I do like the scent of the incense." She looked at him straight in the eye.

She was strange. Under the moonlight, her hair seemed redder than before. And the colour of her irises made him shiver. They were golden. Like a cat's eyes, they were sharp, yet magnetic. He could not help but staring at those eyes, which seemed to read inside him. He suddenly looked away, at the stars. She made him nervous, that was why he tried to avoid her.

"You're good. At playing the piano, I mean." He was concise, direct. He amused her.

"I know. Thanks, anyway." She looked away, and noticed that the bottle was empty. Not saying a word, she stood up and disappeared inside the inn. She came back a few seconds later, with a bottle full of rum in her hand. She smiled, handing it to the swordsman who, after a silent toast to the girl, drank long gulps. Akuma sat on a bench, gladly accepting the bottle that Zoro was offering too her.

"So, was it a mistake to volunteer as temporary musician?" She asked him, after a few minutes. Zoro took his time to reply. "Well, maybe you've already realized that we have several weirdos in our group. Actually, we _only_ have weirdos. That's better. An idiot captain, a mean navigator, a coward sniper, a maniac cook, an animal doctor, a robot shipwright and a mysterious archaelogist", he listed, snickering. "I think you could just fit well, 'devil' musician." He concluded. Akuma smiled. "I'm just a normal girl with a strange nickname… and what are you doing with this weird crew?" Zoro chuckled. "Well, somebody has to keep them under control, right? And I've never said I wasn't weird… everyone has its own particular traits." He fell silent for a moment, then added: "So, Akuma is just a nickname… Then, what's the real name of our new musician?"

The redhead smiled maliciously, winking at the man. "Confidential information. However, nobody ever calls me by my real name, now… Sometimes I don't even remember it!" That said, she drank a sip of rum and passed the bottle to the swordsman, who accepted it smiling.

They stayed there, under the porch, silent, until sunrise. They drank in turn, from the same bottle. Whenever they drank up all the alcohol, one of them would stand up and take another bottle.

That morning was a real tragedy for the innkeeper. Having gotten up rather early, he found his tavern devastated, because of the party of the night before, and what was worse, he noticed with frustration that the bottles of his most expensive rum –the one to be drunk only on special occasions- had almost disappeared.


	2. Chapter 2

It was late in the morning when the Thousand Sunny left Flint Island. Akuma had explained to Nami that the next stop would be Onsen Island, which they would sight after four days of travel.

Akuma had fallen asleep on one of the reclining chairs on the deck, near the tangerine plants of the cartographer, whose scent diffused in the air thanks to the light breeze around them. When Sanji called her, she roused herself from sleep. She didn't remember falling asleep.

"Darling, it's almost 1pm, lunch is ready. Are you coming?" he asked her.

She mentally listed every single sheer torture the blonde-haired pirate would suffer if only he dared to call her again by the term 'darling', or other similar epithets. "Mmh." she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. The heart-eyed cook thought she was the sweetest sight he had ever witnessed.

The two entered the kitchen. Silence reigned, and it was far from normality. The boys were eating quietly, eyes lowered on their dishes, while Nami was fuming angrily. Robin was eating calmly, apparently not interested in what was going on around her.

"Have you angered my splendid Nami, haven't you?! I swear I'll skin you alive, I'll kick you to death, you assholes!"

"It's ok, Sanji. Thank you. These idiots tried to eat your portions; and mine, too." she glared angrily at her companions. "Such animals."

It was simply incredible. An apparently weak girl like the navigator was able to stand up to those hotheads. Akuma looked at the people responsible for Nami's pissed-off mood; they were so funny, their heads down, each one mumbling by himself. A punch on each head was enough to quieten them down. Akuma sat down and started eating what the cook had prepared for the girls. She had to admit that she had never eaten such delicacies, not even at Nisa's inn. The redhead suddenly felt the urge to come back as soon as possible; the thought of her friend made her feel quite homesick. She had left a month before, after her friend had given birth to that little creature.

"Musician, play for us!" Luffy ordered, taking her mind off her thoughts. They had already finished eating, so she decided to please him. She went to the bedroom where she had put her stuff and took her guitar.

She joined the others, sat down on a wooden chair and tuned the guitar, then started playing. The tune was lively, her voice was rich and warm. The crew hadn't heard her sing yet, and they all were enraptured by her and the words coming out of her mouth. Singing, whistling, playing, she told stories. Stories about fishermen, kings, assassins, prostitutes, heroes, stories about pirates. Luffy stared at her, enchanted. He was carefully listening to her words, even though she sometimes sang in a language unknown to him. When the girl stopped playing, he paid her enthusiastic compliments, and asked her about her songs.

"I knew the composer." the image of Moses came to her mind, along with their first encounter. Even if she was a child at the time, Akuma was a devil and a true monster. That man's music had the power to calm her down and to make her happy. He had been like a father to her.

"Is he dead?" Usopp interposed, receiving a kick on the head from Sanji for his total lack of tact. "Yeah. Four years ago." Akuma sighed. "That's how life is, though." She looked at the floor, sighed and started playing again, this time a well-known tune, so that the pirates could sing along.

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><p>The first day continued uneventful. The new, yet temporary member of the crew attracted many questions; her answers though were always elusive, especially when she was asked about her job. Fortunately, Luffy wanted to listen to music all the time, so Akuma spent the day singing and playing and had not much time to speak about herself. She enjoyed performing for that little group; they were so enthusiastic about her music.<p>

She chatted with everyone. Usopp had also set up a sort of interrogation that really amused her. She was sitting at the kitchen table having a cup of tea after dinner when the boy tentatively entered the room and sat across her, lighting a table lamp he had brought with him and pointing the light in her direction.

"So" he started, "What's your name?" Simple questions first.

Akuma chuckled. "Akuma."

Usopp raised an eyebrow to the girl. "Real name?"

She took a sip of her tea. "Not telling."

"Age?" he asked then, receiving a kick in the face from Sanji. "It's rude to ask a woman about her age!" he yelled, angry.

"24" she replied, calm.

"Job?" Usopp asked, composing himself after falling off the chair, thanks to Sanji.

"Musician… Isn't it the reason I'm here?" The curly-haired boy pressed his lips together, forming a straight line.

"Real job?"

"Nothing interesting." She replied, putting her arm on the table and resting her head on her hand.

"Likes and dislikes?"

Akuma seemed to think about that for a moment, then said, "I like chocolate and animals" sending a brief kiss in Chopper's direction, who ran away to hide himself, to no avail. In the meantime, Sanji offered her a box full of chocolates, which the redhead accepted happily. "I dislike…" she mumbled, while eating one of the chocolates "Let's see… I'd say rain and broccoli". She concluded. "My dear, you'll never have to worry about eating broccoli as long as you're here with us!" Akuma chuckled at the cook's statement. A grunt was heard from the sofa, where Zoro was taking a nap. "Idiot."

"My dear little devil, may I ask you your taste about men?" Sanji asked, ready to become whatever man she'd say she liked. Akuma seemed amused, and felt like playing with him for a bit. A little revenge for his corny nicknames.

"Mmh… I like muscular men, better if tanned, with an unusual hair colour, but definitely not blonde. I'd prefer he knew how to fight, and maybe use a sword or two, someone who is a little rough, and very proud. I like earrings and piercing on men. Oh, and also casual clothes, not suits." She watched as Sanji's mouth opened more and more, until it almost reached the floor: she had practically described his sworn enemy, that idiot marimo.  
>In the meantime, Zoro was laughing out loud, raising from the sofa and looking at him. "Serves you right, ero-cook!" He chuckled.<br>"Sorry" She said, winking at Sanji.  
>"Don't' worry, my sweet Akuma, I still love you…" he replied, tears brimming from his eyes. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I will go and ask Nami-swan and Robin-chan for comfort before going to the lookout post…" that said, he left the room.<p>

Zoro stood up, too, and helped himself with a glass of water. He looked at Akuma, smirking, "I didn't know I made that good impression on you…" he said, amused. "Well, I hope it's mutual." She said as she winked at him, then turned to Usopp.  
>"So, is my interrogation over?" The boy was still laughing, thinking about Sanji. "Yes, I'd say so." Zoro chuckled. "Then, what did you discover?" he asked, pointing his finger towards the redhead. "Is she to be trusted?" "Well, that I still don't know, but I guess she's fun." Akuma smiled and bowed at Usopp. "Thank you so much for your judgement, then. I'm glad I passed the exam." That said, she waved at the boys.<p>

"Goodnight" Akuma said, as she was walking out of the kitchen. "Want me to join?" asked Zoro, a smirk on his face. The musician was a little taken aback by the swordsman's words, but she just played along. "Maybe next time… My bra doesn't match my panties tonight; I'd never want you to think that I'm shabby." Zoro chuckled while he watched her going out of the room.

"What was that?" asked Usopp, an eyebrow arched. "What?" was Zoro's blunt reply. "I had never seen you flirt... I didn't even think you knew what that meant." He was suspicious… Was that his always-detached friend? Zoro chuckled. "Go to bed, Usopp."  
>That said, the long-nosed boy went indeed to his room. Zoro was about to leave the kitchen, when he heard a high-pitched voice asking him "What's 'flirting'?" Chopper was still there, 'hiding' behind a chair. "Something you're definitely too young for" was the definition Zoro offered him, before going to bed.<p>

* * *

><p>The next day, after getting up, Akuma thought that she couldn't slack off, so she decided to train. She went to the deck and started jogging to warm up. It was quite early, so there was nobody there, apart from Franky. The shipwright was checking the ship to make sure that it was perfect as always. After observing the girl for a few seconds, Franky stopped her.<p>

"Hey, sorry to bother you, but… what is that?" He asked her, pointing to the green headphones of the girl. A wire connected them to a little black box that Akuma had secured to her shorts.

Akuma stopped; she had just started running so she wasn't really bothered. She took off her headphones and gave them to the man. "These are headphones... we use them to listen to music. Try them on." Franky gave her a cold look "I know what headphones are… I meant that" he said, pointing to the black object on her waist. He had never seen something like that. "Well, you see, the technical name for this type of headphones is ''Ampliphones'. They transmit to your ears the sound waves coming from this – it's called a music box. It contains a sort of engine called dial... do you know what I'm talking about? I think so, as Chopper told me you've been to Skypiea…" Franky nodded; he actually hadn't gone to the sky island, but the guys had told him their adventure. Frankly, he was a little envious. "The music box can record, store and organise the songs and play them at your will, thank to these buttons here. It's very useful!" She concluded.  
>"That's a really nice toy you have here... could I analyse it sometimes? I'd like to build one of those myself." The girl nodded. "Sure, as long as you don't break it… it's very expensive, you know!" Franky smiled. "Of course, I'm really good at these things. Now it's better if you continue with your training, the others are about to get up and some of them could seriously interrupt you!" She smiled back at him and started jogging again.<p>

After ten minutes, she decided she had run enough, as it was an activity she didn't quite like. She took off her shoes and continued her training barefoot, stretching her muscles. Then, when she thought she had warmed up enough, she started practising Kung Fu, the martial art she mastered. It seemed like she was fighting against an imaginary enemy, but she looked graceful and light.

Zoro, on the other side of the deck, was looking at her with interest. He understood her concentration, her precise movements made of strength, lightness and agility. She could be lethal.

"Hey, Akuma! I didn't know you can fight! Come on, Fight with me! Not with the air!" Luffy yelled, but was ignored by the girl, who hadn't heard him as she was still listening to music. Moreover, as soon as Sanji heard Luffy's words, he had jumped on the boy menacing him if only he had dared to touch his sweet Akuma.

Zoro snickered, as the scene was quite hilarious, even though once again that stupid cook had made a fool of himself. He personally agreed with Luffy, it was evident that Akuma was strong and used to fighting. He felt like training, too. After all, there was not much to do on the Sunny.

* * *

><p>While he was lifting enormous weights with his Wado Ichimonji, Zoro noticed that Akuma was approaching. "Hey" she greeted him, "Can I borrow one of your swords?"<p>

Surprised, he almost dropped his sword and all the weights, but his reflexes were honed enough to avoid a disaster. He gently put everything on the deck, then looked at the girl. "I'm sorry?"

"I asked you if I can borrow one of your swords, I wanted to train with a weapon." She explained.

"Well, they're not toys, you could hurt yourself" Zoro joked.

Akuma's golden eyes showed a glint of amusement. "Well, kid, if you've survived so far, I think I can handle them all right… so, can I borrow it or not? I just want to train."

He would never give his swords to anyone as they were its treasure. However, he tried to negotiate with the redhead. "If you tell me your real name, I could think about giving you one of my swords. Otherwise, there are a few of them in the kitchen, near the sofa."

Akuma snorted. "Touché" she admitted, while going to the kitchen to grab a common sword.

After a few minutes, she was still standing next to Zoro.

"Yours are more beautiful… Let's switch! Your white sword for this one!" She proposed, smiling. "I said no!" Zoro was annoyed, but it was evident that the girl was just making fun of him.

"Ok, I'll stop that… But at least let's fight! In this way I could beat the swords you didn't want to give me!" She challenged the first mate. Zoro grinned. "Very well, but be careful not to cry when I win."

At the speed of light, Sanji stormed out of the kitchen to stop Zoro, but he was knocked out by one of Luffy's punches, who wanted to enjoy the match.

Akuma was not so expert at swordsmanship as Zoro, but she was too damned agile. It was evident that she was used to hand-to-hand combat, rather than with weapons. Not that she didn't know how to use a sword, actually she was good at it, but she relied on it more to dodge and block her enemies' attacks, rather than attacking. Instead of striking powerful blows, she tried to get as close as possible to his body, to hit him in his vital points with a punch or a kick. Zoro had technique and experience by his side, and was physically stronger than the girl. It was a nice match, but Zoro knew he would win. The only thing that made him suspicious, and somewhat annoyed him, was that the redhead didn't seem to take it seriously. She didn't seem tired, either. At last, Zoro managed to make her lose her balance and pushed her to the ground. As she laid there, he towered her and pointed his sword to her throat.

"I think that somebody, here, lost miserably," he said to her with a mocking grin.

"Well, you're strong" she replied, before smiling mischievously. "That's funny" she said. In a split second, she opened her legs, causing the swordsman to lose his balance, as he had his feet next to her hips. Zoro fell, but when he tried to stand up again, he felt somewhat blocked to the ground.  
>What was happening?<p>

In the meantime, Akuma had gotten back to her feet and had taken back her sword, which had fallen when Zoro had pushed her to the ground. Still smiling, she pointed the sword to his throat, mimicking him. "I think that the one who miserably lost here is not me. Now, let's get this over with."

Zoro didn't even have the time to think before he felt the blade cutting through the flesh of his neck.

* * *

><p>"What are they doing?" Asked Nami to Luffy, worried. Some time had passed but Akuma and Zoro seemed stuck in the same position: the redhead pointing her sword to her friend's throat, but neither of them was moving. Then, Zoro gave a start, as if he had awoken from a bad dream. "The fight's over," Luffy replied seriously to his navigator, "Akuma won."<p>

The swordsman was shocked. He was alive… What the hell had he felt, then? He had clearly seen Akuma as she lowered the blade on his neck, and he had felt an excruciating pain as the sword cut through his flesh. Still, he was alive. Meanwhile, Akuma had kneeled down in front of him. "You're strong, and you're good. But some people do not fight with 'traditional' methods, especially here in the Grand Line. You'd better focus on training what you have here" she said, pointing to his head. Then she gave him a once-over, looking at his arms, chest and abs, and winked at him. "Your other muscles are definitely ok", she stated.

Zoro did not speak. He felt humiliated. He had underestimated her, and he had made an ass of himself. For a moment, he thought about his childhood at the dojo when, even though he was the strongest, he constantly lost to Kuina, his master's daughter.

Akuma was strong. Still, that did not explained what she had done to him. Before he could ask her for explanations, though, the two were surrounded by the crew. He looked at Luffy, embarrassed as he had lost. Luffy helped him on his feet. "She's strong, isn't she?" He asked to his first mate. Zoro simply nodded.

At that moment Robin, who was on the lookout post, called to the pirates. "Hey, something's coming!" she yelled, pointing at somewhere in front of them.

"What are you saying? Are you sure? Please, don't kid around!" the long-nosed boy was already shaking with fear.

At about 300 metres away, the water was swelling; a gigantic sea monster emerged.

"What about some roast for dinner, cook?" Zoro asked, smirking, his hand on his swords. His blood was still boiling because of his recent defeat. It would be helpful to kill a huge snake.

"Mmh… yeah, with a bittersweet sauce…" the blonde chef said, making Luffy drool at the thought of a big piece of meat to eat.

Nami and Usopp had dropped crying on the round, hugging the mast, repeating "I don't wanna die, don't wanna die!"

"There's something on its back!" Robin drew the crew's attention to the animal. Actually, tied to the back of the monster thanks to a sort of long belt, there was a shell. Opening out, it revealed a ship's deck. The symbol on the flag, a skull with two crossed snakes instead of shinbones, left no room to imagination. Pirates, who would surely attack the Straw Hat crew.

"Do you still feel like fighting?" Zoro asked to Akuma, even though he already knew the answer. Receiving a nod from the girl, he smiled, pleased. "Good, we already have two scaredy cats to look after!" he exclaimed, glancing at the cartographer and at the sniper, who were still crying and despairing.

Strange. They didn't seem worried at all. Even if taken by surprise, those weird pirates were so calm, as if they were sure they would win. Yet, you must never underestimate your opponent. That was the first thing that Akuma was taught.

The fight had been continuing for some time. The crew of the Great Snake, as the captain of the ship had introduced himself, was composed of about a hundred men; some of them were pretty tough, and agile.

Luffy was fighting against Snake, dressed in a horrible python-skin, tight spandex. Really disgusting.

"Hey Usopp… did you notice? Akuma… she fights in a weird way." The boy searched for the redhead. He noticed she was very good at punching and kicking, but her opponents didn't seem too willing to block her blows, nor did they try to fight back. "You're right, Nami. Didn't you think that something wasn't right when she fought with Zoro, earlier?" The navigator nodded. Lost in their speculations, Usopp and Nami didn't notice the pirate who was approaching them, carrying a sword, until it was too late. They closed their eyes at the same time, apologizing for their sins. Since no blow hit them, they each opened one eye, hands on their head as a useless protection. The man was still there, but he wasn't moving. He seemed paralysed.

"So, Zoro was right when he said you were two scaredy cats!" The two turned around just to see Akuma, smirking. Her golden eyes became menacing, her pupils two blades, as she glared at the pirate. "You make me sick. Taking it out on those who don't fight… that's just disgusting." Nami and Usopp clearly saw the fearful expression in the man's eyes, before his neck broke after an unnatural rotation of his head. They looked away, nauseated.

"If you're not able to fight, be at least clever enough to go hide somewhere. There's no telling if next time you'll be safe and sound again." That said, she left.

The two companions looked at each other, both pale and trembling. The devil's fruit. There was no other possible explanation.

* * *

><p>The fight had almost ended. Corpses and unconscious bodies were piled up on the deck, but naturally, the Straw-Hat crew were all right, even if a bit tired. Survivors had fled, carrying their unconscious captain along with them, but the gigantic snake was still there.<p>

"Shouldn't they leave with their tail between their legs? What are they doing?" Franky was getting nervous.

"There's still someone on board." Akuma rushed to the lower deck. "Come on, get out! I'll let you escape with your friends, I swear!" she lied. The door of Nami's room suddenly burst open, while quick steps resonated in the corridor. Yet, the redhead couldn't see anybody. She hurried on the deck, shouting at the crew to look out for a thief. Still, even though they had been warned, they were powerless against an invisible enemy.

The thrust was really strong. Akuma found herself falling from the ship, into the sea. She noticed, out of the corner of her eye, the sea monster quickly escaping.

"Dive, idiots! Fish her out! She's eaten a Devil's Fruit, she's going to drown!" Nami shouted hysterically. Sanji didn't waste any more time and dove into the water to rescue his damsel in distress. He couldn't see her… but it was impossible that she had already drown and disappeared underwater in such a short time. When he rose to the surface to breathe in, he heard someone calling him.

"Did you feel like taking a bath?"

He quickly turned towards the voice and almost had a heart attack seeing that Akuma was not at all in distress, and had already caught the rope that had been thrown to help them get on the ship.

Once on the deck, the girl glared at the crew.

"I had warned you! You must be more careful! If it were you, Luffy, to fall out of the ship, you would be dead by now! You're so reckless!"

Chopper immediately wrapped her with a blanket, because she was shaking. Zoro gave one to Sanji, too. Well, he threw one at him, causing the nth quarrel between the two.

Nami arrived on the deck after a ten-minute-lower-deck patrol, looking like a ghost.

"They've entered Robin's and my room, we've… we've been robbed!" She crumpled to the ground, frustrated.

"Years worth of savings, of robbery… and now everything's vanished …"

Luffy and Zoro couldn't help laughing. The cartographer's pantomime was so funny.

"Come on, Nami! Be happy! Money is nothing when everybody's safe and sound and is having fun!" said Luffy, trying to cheer up the navigator. He didn't know, though, that he was just making her angrier and angrier. She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and starter shaking him violently. "Idiot! You can't do anything without money! Don't you know how we get food? With money, MONEY!"

Nami then was joined in her desperate state by Luffy, who couldn't believe that he wouldn't eat anymore.

It was Robin who cheered things up. "Well, if that invisible man has only entered our room, that means there is still money and food in the hold."

"Big sister! You're the only one who understands me! I'm so lucky to have you here on this ship… this crew is composed of only stupid people!"

"Let me remind you that you're one of the people in this crew…" said Zoro, receiving a kick and an insult by the cook. Then, annoyed, the swordsman went to the kitchen.

There he found Akuma, who was drinking a cup of tea. She had dried and changed clothes, but her hair was still wet and tied in an unstable bun. Now that her hair was tied, Zoro noticed that the girl had a tattoo on her nape. It seemed like a writing, but the collar of her t-shirt was partially covering it, so he couldn't distinguish clearly what was written.

"Do you want some tea?" she asked. He refused, shaking his head.

"If that stupid cook finds you cooking, he'll …"

"What, Zoro? I'm a girl."

The swordsman sniggered. "You're right. He would probably propose to you."

"As if he hadn't already…"

Silence fell between them, but it wasn't so relaxed as the night when they were drinking in Flint Island. This was tense. The redhead knew that Zoro had seen her fighting and killing the man who had attacked Nami and Usopp. She knew she could be considered weird, but she didn't feel compelled to give explanations. Moreover, nobody had told them about Luffy's, Chopper's or Robin's powers.

"How did you…" Zoro couldn't complete the question, because the kitchen was invaded by the pirates. Akuma handed a cup of tea to Sanji, who thanked her effusively, that is to say jumping on the girl, who dodged right on time.

* * *

><p>"That invisible asshole must have taken advantage of the confusion to sneak to the lower deck… quite a good strategy, for such a worthless crew…" the redhead mumbled to herself, while they were having dinner.<p>

"What do you mean?"

Akuma snorted, mentally scolding herself. She had managed to blow her cover herself. She didn't want to tell anything about her job, not to raise unnecessary doubts and preoccupation in the pirates. "The captain is worth about 60 millions, and there aren't other impressive fighters in the crew …"

"How do you know this? Are you maybe a pirate hunter?" Nami asked, suspicious.

"Well, more or less." The girl replied, receiving surprised, frightened and angry looks. "Don't worry." she grumbled. "I only hunt down those I'm told to by my boss. And anyway, your bounties are still too low for me to take care of you."

She hoped she had eventually closed the issue; actually, an awkward silence fell into the room.

"We hope you have enjoyed tonight's show: 'How to crush the pride of a whole pirate crew with a simple statement'," Robin chuckled, not minimally affected by Akuma's remark. Usopp, Luffy, Franky, Chopper and Sanji, however, crouched in a corner, were rocking back and forth, humming "low bounties… low bounties…"

"Hey, I didn't mean to dishearten you! Maybe I wasn't clear! I mean… I'm usually ordered to hunt down people whose bounties are higher than 100 millions… As for now, apart from Luffy and Zoro, you can all be quiet… I won't harm you!"

"Tsk, as if you could… I'm much stronger than what my bounty says, and one day I'm going to be the Pirates' King, remember this!" Luffy exclaimed, smiling. The other pirates somewhat relaxed.

"Well, I'm pretty strong myself, straw hat. I might be arrogant, but I'm not talking trash." Akuma smiled back.

"Yeah I know, in fact I'd like to fight you, if you want we could just go outside and… "

A kick from Sanji shut him up. "If you dare to lay a finger on my sweet dove, I'll kill you! I'm already mad at myself for not preventing her from dirtying her silky hands with that idiot marimo first and those filthy pirates then…"

"By the way Akuma, how is it that you don't drown when you fall into the water?" Usopp asked. He wanted to know more about what he had seen. The rest of the crew focused their attention on her. The redhead seemed surprised.

"Why should I drown? I can swim perfectly!"

"Well, usually those who have eaten a devil's fruit sink immediately after falling into the water…"

"I've never eaten a devil's fruit…"

"And… and your powers?"

Akuma shrugged her shoulders. "I have had them as far back as I can remember."

Nami was charmed. "Really? That's quite impressive…"

Ok, she hadn't told them the whole truth, but she hadn't lied, either. She had just omitted some key points. Luffy, as noisy as ever, butted in on the discussion.

"Powers? What power?"

The navigator, annoyed, answered his question "You're a real idiot, Luffy! Haven't you noticed before? Telekinesis!"

"Uh? What's that? Is that anything edible?"

Nami was almost losing her temper, but Akuma came to her aid. Luffy noticed that his hat was floating in the air. He looked at the redhead. "Is that you?" she smiled at him, nodding. Usopp and Chopper were exalted. "Wow! How can you do this? I want to do his, too!" Sanji punched his captain on the head. "Idiot! You've got such a low IQ that you wouldn't move an object even if you begged it to!"

"Actually, concentration is much more useful …" Akuma tried to cheer him up. "Then we're done for, Luffy only concentrates while he's eating!" Usopp exclaimed, causing a general laughter.

She was beautiful, when she laughed. She lost that grave and evil aura that seemed to surround her wherever she went. He recalled her coolness while killing the pirate who was menacing Nami and Usopp, that afternoon. 'She must have done it many times', he thought. She was surely a pro at that. He wished never to be on her hit list. What he had experienced during their fight had been enough for him. An enemy who enters your head and forces you to do what he or she wants is much more dangerous even than the most skilful swordsman. In that case, you are free to think about a strategy or a counterattack, but against someone controlling your movements, you're done for.

She said she was a bounty hunter, yet Zoro felt like he could trust her when she said she had no intention to kill them. She seemed very honest to the swordsman.

Shortly earlier, Usopp and Luffy had jumped on the table and they were now singing and dancing; the rest of the crew looked at them laughing. Zoro glanced at Akuma once again. His gaze lingered on her face, admiring her long eyelashes and her full lips, then slid to her cleavage. He looked as her breast rose and fell as she laughed.

He had to look away, reluctantly, when he sensed the presence of an asshole behind him.

"What are you looking at, pervert?" Sanji hissed, glaring murderously at him.

"Nothing you haven't already examined. I've seen you: yesterday, this morning, a short while ago…"

"What do you mean, marimo?"

"I mean I'm not the only pervert here, third-rate cook. You are even worse." He stood up and left. It was the first time the blonde idiot hadn't sprung at him, and it was strange. Turning around, he noticed a strange heart-eyed being, who was serving a cocktail to Nami.

Outside a warm breeze blew, the moon and the stars brightened the night. Zoro felt his eyelids heavier and heavier.


	3. Chapter 3

**_A/N_ **Hello everyone! before starting this new chapter, I'd like to clarify a few things: first of all, I started writing this fanfic years ago, so it's set before the Thriller Bark Ark... As you could read, there is no Brooke in my story. Then, I got inspiration for Akuma's voice from the Italian singer Elisa. I really think she's one of the best singers right now, listen to her songs on Youtube! For the character of Moses, I was inspired by the Italian singer and songwriter Fabrizio de Andrè. I also got inspiration for the other musicians you'll meet in my story from Italian musicians, but I'll tell you as the story progresses...

Finally, thank you for reading and reviewing my story.

**Disclaimers: **I do not own any of the OP characters

* * *

><p>When Zoro woke up, he understood he had slept for hours. Apart from the sound of the sea, gently stirred by the wind, silence reigned. Everybody was in bed. He was about to head to his room, too, when he noticed that the light in the kitchen was still on. Thinking that it had been just someone's forgetfulness, he went up the stairs to switch it off. Through the window, though, he saw a well known red-haired figure.<p>

Akuma couldn't see him, since she was standing with her back to the door. His gaze fell on her bottom, partly covered by a pair of shorts. Really short. 'Knock it off, otherwise you'll become just like that idiotic cook…' he said to himself.

"Don't you ever sleep?"

The swordsman noticed the girl had given a start as he spoke, before she turned around to see who had talked.

"I thought you were still asleep on deck, you startled me!" She gave him a smile and then offered him and explanation. "I was thirsty, so I got up and came to the kitchen. I was about to have some water, when I saw this, and couldn't resist…" Zoro looked at the mug she was holding: it was filled with chocolate ice cream. He noticed that her lips were slightly brown.

She smiled again. She looked like a five-year old girl. "… do you want some?"

He refused, frowning. He didn't like sweet food, but in that moment he would have happily licked the ice cream off her mouth. Ok, now he was getting creepy.

"Whatever, there's more for me!" she replied, licking her lips.

Zoro tried to divert his attention from his perverted thoughts, so he sat at the table and focused on something much more familiar to him.

"Listen, Akuma, I'd like to fight with you again. You have a real fascinating power, I'd like to try and beat it." The girl stared at him, surprised. That guy didn't give up easily. He amused her, he thought he could win against her when she hadn't even fought seriously, as if her life was at grinned. "I've already told you, you need to train more. Right now, you can't win against me…" she told him frankly, "… but if you want to be defeated again, then bring it on!" She concluded."It's about being stronger than your mental 'strength', isn't it? I think I could easily make it by opposing a higher resistance to the movement you want me to make, or the contrary, would you want to block me…" Zoro reflected. Akuma laughed. When did he come up with that solution? "Well, I think you would be right if my powers were all about telekinesis." The swordsman raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, but I can do much more." She pronounced these words not moving her lips. Her voice did not pass through Zoro's lips; it just directly got to his brain. What was she doing?

"It's telepathy. I know what you think by reading your mind as if it were an open book. I can communicate with you without speaking. I can also convince you of something that never happened. Do you remember our fight, this morning? Didn't you think I had cut your throat?" She mentally asked him, leaving the swordsman open-mouthed. She had sat at the table in front of him, leaning her head on her hand and staring at him with a sarcastic smile on her face. "You'll need to find a way to stop this if you want to beat me, Roronoa Zoro." She concluded. The swordsman sighed. "I think you're right…" She was strong, and dangerous. What was she, a cyborg? A normal person could not be strong, beautiful, smart and musically talented. She had to have some flaws. "Well, I'm not normal" She said, reading the swordsman's thoughts. Zoro simply blushed. "Sorry" he mumbled. She chuckled. "But I can assure you, I have my flaws, too. Up to you to discover them" she concluded, winking at him.

Twenty minutes passed. Zoro had started cleaning his swords. Akuma, in the meantime, had almost finished her ice cream. She ate slowly, Zoro noted.

"Could you please pour me some water?" He asked her.

The redhead looked at him as if to say 'Can't you do it yourself?', but nonetheless put down the mug and stood up to grab the bottle of water.  
>Zoro took advantage of the moment to glance quickly again at her bottom. Firm, toned, a really nice butt, he concluded. It took him a little too long, though, to look away. Akuma, turning around, had found it out, and their eyes met. She raised an eyebrow. He was done for.<p>

"Were you staring at my ass?"

Yes, he was done for. 'Shit, this one gets into your brain, how can I make up an excuse? I'm not as smart as Nami!'

"Well, it's… it's your fault! It's only logical that men stare at you if you put on such revealing clothes! And you always wear low-cut shirts, too!"

"Oh, so you also stare at my breasts! So much for the cook being the perverted one in the crew!"

Zoro sighed, lowering his gaze. 'Congratulations, Roronoa. Now she believes you are the same as that idiot…'

She then burst out laughing, handing him the glass of water.

He stared at her, shocked.

"What's the problem?" she asked, calming down.

"Aren't you mad at me? I expected screams and shouts…"

"Why should I? You wouldn't stop looking, and surely I'm not going to scratch your eyes out; I'll just take that as a compliment." She smiled mischievously, getting closer to him.

"And then if I told you to stop, how could I enjoy the view when you exercise bare-chested?" she concluded, winking at him, a few centimetres from his face.

She had surprised him, even embarrassed him, for a moment. He realized that he was attracted deeply, dangerously, to her. Besides, the fact that she was so close wasn't helping him at all.

Beautiful women are cunning: they make you fall for them, then stab you in your back and when you realise that it's too late, they've already left. It's better to avoid them. Zoro knew how Carifa had acted towards Iceberg, at Water Seven. Well, he couldn't stand Nami's slyness and Robin's enigmatic smiles, and he had even almost died for them. How should he judge Akuma, whom he had known for a couple of days? Stay away from her… Easier said than done, but that girl was so close, and so beautiful. Besides, he really felt like fooling around.

He followed his instinct, as always.

He stood up and, with two steps, closed the distance between them. He grabbed her by her nape and drew her closer, in an almost violent and avid kiss. At first he had felt her stiffening, but then she had surrendered, passionately kissing him back and throwing her arms around him. She tasted like chocolate, the swordsman realised.  
>They were leaning against the kitchen wall. Better, Zoro had pushed Akuma against the wall and was pressing his body against hers. She, on her part, had her left leg hooked around his right knee, to make him adhere better to her body.<br>He felt his head empty when her tongue started caressing his in a tantalizing way. He felt all his blood rush to his lower region. He gently bit her lower lip and started nipping her neck. He continued when he heard Akuma purr in his ear. That sound turned him on further.

But it didn't last long; when Zoro's right hand slipped under Akuma's top to touch her breast and his left hand grabbed one of her buttocks in a way that was not innocent at all, she seemed to wake from a dream. She put her hands on his chest and pushed him away, striving to free herself from the pirate. "Shit, shit, shit!" She repeated, as she walked back and forth through the room, her hands on her forehead. Her cheeks were red and there were little red dots on her neck, where Zoro had nipped.

The swordsman was staring at her. He was furious for carelessly letting himself go to such low needs with the only result of being interrupted now that he was so turned on.

"So what? I thought we were having fun…" he grunted bitterly.

"Too much fun." She bluntly replied, almost whispering. He had heard her, though, and was now staring at her interrogatively. They had kissed, all right, but _nothing more_. Actually, if Akuma had not stepped back, they would have probably concluded in the nearest of their bedrooms. But that hadn't happened, they hadn't done anything that could be considered 'too much'.

"Too much? I wasn't even the one who started it! All you did today was provoking me, it's clear I thought you would play along. And then you step back? Let me warn you: don't try to play with me and then blame me."

The redhead sighed. "Listen, it's all my fault. You're right, I shouldn't have provoked you. This situation is so not right…" She ran a hand through her curls, as she always did when she was nervous, and glanced at him. The swordsman was irritated, his lips were forming a tight line and his arms were folded against his chest.

"Explain. Why is it not right?"

Yeah. Why? She liked Zoro: he was handsome, manly, muscular and strong. He had kissed her passionately, in a way she thought she had forgotten, even better. He had awaken her lust, as she could feel a familiar warm sensation in her belly, but she couldn't let herself go. She would have loved to continue what they were doing, but there was that _little_ particular…

"I have a boyfriend."

There. The scam.

It was only natural. How could a girl like that be single? But, after all, they were on a ship, far from everyone and everything, maybe they could fool around a little. The swordsman mentally scolded himself; he was a man of honour. However, he had to admit, the temptation was strong.

As if Akuma had read his mind, which she had probably done, she preceded him.

"I can't cheat on him, even though…" She stopped talking, she was afraid of what she would say if she went on. "No. I can't. I must not."

'Must not?' What was it? A prohibition? Zoro was confused. Being faithful to your lover shouldn't be an imposed obligation; it should be natural. There, though, only their attraction was natural, and evident.

"Listen, you look too hesitant to me. I think it's clear, now, that we are physically attracted to one another. As far as I'm concerned, you've _already_ cheated on your boyfriend, so it's up to you now. Do you want to go on or to pretend to be faithful to your poor little boyfriend? I can picture him, in your house, waiting for your return, sighing and wondering what his sweet girl is doing right now…"

Akuma growled, irritated. Suddenly, she approached the swordsman while she bitterly glared at him. "What do you know about who's waiting for me, hmm? Do you think you already know me after we met two days ago and made out for, like, thirty seconds? The reasons why I can't be with you –believe me, it's something I'd really love to- are so complicated you can't even begin to imagine."

"Then, explain." Zoro said, trying to regain his composure. Akuma, though, didn't even bother to try and seem calm. "You're really naïve… you have no worries in your life, besides drinking, eating and fighting. For your information, there are some people who can't live as they want."

That was enough; he grabbed her by her wrist and growled at her. "Hey, I might be naïve, but don't be so superb to think you know me just because of your powers, got it?"

Akuma wriggled away from his strong grip. "Screw you" She hissed, then went out of the kitchen, dramatically slamming the door. Zoro kicked a chair, before sitting at the table. He was so nervous; he needed to release his stress. He needed to sleep.

* * *

><p>It was Sanji who woke him up, the next morning. With one of his best kicks, the cook threw Zoro to the ground, shouting at him.<p>

"Idiot! What do you think you're doing? I was sleeping!"

"You are the idiot! Why did you break the chair? And the ice cream? You should have taken less if you weren't going to finish it! Now it's melted and inedible! You retard… you could have at least washed the mug!"

Zoro growled. "Listen, cook. Let me warn you: today's a bad day, so please try to shut that trap if you want to live…" He was clearly still nervous.

"I'm sorry Sanji, it's my fault. I took the ice cream yesterday, but then I was in a hurry and forgot about it… I'll wash the mug." Akuma had entered the kitchen together with Nami and had seen the quarrel between the chef and the swordsman.

"Oh, my dear little devil, you don't have to apologize! I'm here for you, I could be your personal slave, if you wanted me to!"

The poor pirate was clearly ignored by the redhead, who sat at the table to have breakfast. She never once looked the swordsman in the eye. In the meantime, all the other members of the crew had entered. The atmosphere in the kitchen warmed up, more or less as usual. Neither Zoro nor Akuma were chatty people, so their silence went unnoticed.

* * *

><p>"Hey Akuma! What are you doing?" The captain asked her. He had found the redhead after yet another exploration of the new ship; the girl was sitting on the meadow on the deck, strumming her guitar and scribbling on some sheets of paper. She saw him and lightly nodded her head as a greeting.<p>

"Hi Rufy. I was trying to write, seemingly to no avail…" She lifted two pages for Rufy to see her notes, even though all that the black-haired boy could see was a page full of lines, strange symbols and scribbles written in a feminine but disordered handwriting.

"Are you writing a novel? I've heard that the most difficult part is the beginning, but once you've started, then you can go on easily! Maybe you're lacking some good ideas for a story… what about a novel about pirates?" Rufy said, with a big smile spreading on his face. Akuma raised an eyebrow. She thought he would understand but man, that kid was so dumb! How could he have gained such a frightening bounty? "Rufy, I was trying to write a song. Right now, though, everything I play sounds so wrong…"

He looked thoughtful for a second, and then an idea seemed to have crossed his mind. 'His two neurons must have come in contact' Akuma thought, smirking. "Then, why not writing a pirate song?" The drop forming on the girl's forehead was very big.

"Well, thank you for your suggestion. I will think about it." It was a way to ignore him and get him out of her way. She didn't mind the boy's company, but at that moment she wanted to be left alone.

Rufy was not the sharpest person on Earth, though, so he sat next to her and hugged her, the way a kid would hug a big dog, ruffling her hair and rubbing his cheek against hers.

"I'm so happy to have a musician in my crew! I've wanted one since I became a pirate, but at the beginning there were Zoro and Nami, and then all the others! Now I'm really happy, I've got all that I need… maybe an acrobat, though…"

Akuma interrupted the crazy monologue of that strange kid distancing herself with a punch on his head. When he was at a safe distance from the redhead, Rufy continued talking.

"When will we arrive at your island?" He asked. Akuma looked up at the sky, calculating the time it would take them.

"Well, today we should arrive at Vapour Island, the one before mine… the Log Pose takes two days there to record the magnetism, and then it's should be a ten-day journey, if nothing happens. So, we should get to Vanyra, my island, in less than two weeks." She explained.

"Oh, that's good!" Rufy exclaimed.

The redhead faked an offended expression. "You seem happy to get rid of me… what about all the nice things you were saying to me just a few seconds ago?"

He blinked, then looked at her "I'm happy because the sooner we get to your town, the sooner you can tell to your boss that you're leaving with me!"

Akuma's eyes widened "I'm sorry?"

"What's the problem? You've already become a member of my crew, and I don't want to lose my musician! So it's settled, you're coming with us!"

He was serious. He was so damn serious.

"Rufy, that was not our deal. I'm not going to join this crew. And even if I wanted, my boss would not accept that. He would kill you and your friends first, and then me."

Rufy pouted, "I don't want to die before finding the One Piece!"

Akuma sighed and stood up, smiling at him. "Then don't try to bring me with you longer than needed, straw hat. I appreciated your offer, anyway. Thanks."

"Why not? You're one of us! Even Zoro likes you… that means you were made to be with us!"

Akuma froze on her spot. "What did you say?" How could he know about Zoro? He was not smart, he couldn't have understood anything. And the swordsman was definitely not the type to open up to other people about love affairs.

"I said that Zoro likes you! Yesterday I was on the lock post with Nami, we wanted to have a cup of coffee, so we headed to the kitchen and we saw that he was almost smothering you! Nami told me that he was doing like that because he liked you, so we left you alone…" Akuma's face was almost as red as her hair.

"…So you didn't see what happened next, right?" When Rufy shook his head, she continued. "Rufy, you must not tell anyone about this, especially when we land. Can you promise that to me?"

The captain nodded, a wide smile on his face. He wouldn't reveal anything; the problem was Nami… Akuma would have to buy her silence someway.

In the meantime, Rufy had already found another talking point.

"Say Akuma, do you have a dream?"

The girl was not paying attention to the captain, so she though she hadn't understood his question. "A dream, you said?"

The black-haired kid nodded lively. "Yes, a dream! For example, I want to be the next King of the Pirates, Nami wants to draw the map of all seas, Chopper wants to find a cure to all diseases… don't you have a similar dream?" Akuma smiled bitterly. Rufy was such a kid, so carefree. "I had to put aside my dreams a long time ago."

The rubber pirate wanted to know more about it, that was evident, but Akuma shook her head. "Not everyone can afford to dream. I really don't feel like talking about that, Rufy." He lowered his gaze and was about to leave, when the redhead called him. "Hey…" she was smiling, even though it was a sad smile. She hugged him tightly, as if she were afraid that he could run away. "Thank you." She whispered to him and let him go. She picked up her guitar and the sheets of paper and left.

* * *

><p>"Nami."<p>

The girl's left eye opened to look at the person who had called her name. That person was currently blocking the sunrays from hitting her body and giving her that golden tan she dreamt. Akuma seemed nervous, she was fidgeting and touching her hair. She sat on the chair next to the navigator's. Nami's right eye opened, too, as she was now awake and waiting for the other girl to speak.

"Rufy told me that you two, last night… saw the little show between Zoro and me…" she started, hesitant. Nami got more alert, though a light blush coloured her cheeks.

"I swear, it was only two or three seconds! You know, seeing Zoro with a woman is not something we are used to… We didn't mean to spy on you at all!" She tried to justify herself; truth was, she really didn't want to annoy the musician. Ever since she had seen her kill those pirates cool-headedly, she had been afraid of her. Akuma ran a hand through her hair. "Well, it's not like there has been a proper conclusion… anyway, I just wanted to ask you if you could keep quiet about that." She sighed. 'Fewer people know about this, fewer risks of _him_ finding that out…'

Being afraid of a killer musician did not mean that Nami would have let a chance for profit slip by. A sly smirk spread across her face. "My silence is not for free…" She said.

Her smirk suddenly faded though, as she realised that she couldn't move as she wanted. The redhead was looking at her, now it was her turn to smirk. "I saved your life yesterday, so you owe me a big one. Although, if you don't agree to what I asked, I could just shut your trap. _For good_. After all we are not friends; we barely know each other. Moreover, there's a bounty on your head…" She was joking, that was evident. But Nami was scared to death. "What do you say? We have a deal?" The navigator nodded, as tears were brimming on her eyes. Suddenly, she felt free to move.

"You know, I was joking about killing you…" Akuma tried to play down.

"Well, it wasn't that funny at all." Nami replied, annoyed. She would never get on the musician's nerves again, or she might actually get killed. But her behaviour had been so rude…

Akuma lowered her eyes. What was the weight she felt on her chest? Was it _guilt_? Impossible. She was so used to behaving that way that she had threatened the girl by instinct, not considering that she was not one of those corrupted boors she usually dealt with.

She put those thoughts aside when someone on the lock post warned the crew that they were getting nearer to an island.


End file.
